


Happy Place

by suzannahbee123



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Awkwardness, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, one moment of vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-04-30
Packaged: 2020-02-10 12:26:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18660427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suzannahbee123/pseuds/suzannahbee123
Summary: The yearly carnival had always been your happy place, but this year one stranger gives you another reason to love going there.





	Happy Place

You know how everyone has a happy place? And not the deserted beach where all your favourite crushes are waiting to tend to your every need in only loincloths and/or bikinis that you go to in your head (or whatever fantasy you have). I mean the actual physical location where you can go in real life to de stress and press the reset button in your mind. For some this is somewhere as simple as their own bed, for others, they need somewhere in the middle of nowhere and so quiet and still you could forget the world is filled with noise and chaos.

And then there’s the people like me who love the money grabbing and possible food poisoning inducing melee of the yearly carnival.

The carnival that came to my town every year had been doing so for so long it was a tradition in my town. My grandparents met there, my parents met there, and then they took me every year for my birthday, from year one until last year. Over twenty years of perfect birthdays spent chucking balls at coconuts, getting bruises from the jerky roller coasters and eating so much questionable food that I would more than likely spend the next week over eating my greens to compensate. I loved having my birthday here with them, and I didn’t care how old I was, the carnival was my happy place.

Except this year, my parents had gone on a cruise without me, the jerks.

Okay, they weren’t jerks, they deserved it after so many years hard work, but I couldn’t help that I would miss them and that I was oddly freaking out about going without them for the first time. My best friend, Dori, and her boyfriend Lance, were going with me instead and, just to make the day even stranger, they were bringing a friend of Lance’s from his gym as a double date for me. Lance could’ve just said he was too cheap to buy me something, there was no need to overcompensate with a date, for heaven’s sake.

Anyway, it was fine, supposedly he was a sweetheart and he loved birthday parties. He was probably just some giant gym asshole with more muscles than brains, anyway. I hoped he would at least be pretty.

I woke up on the day of my birthday, face timed with my parents who looked happy and healthy and relaxed, and began to get ready to meet Dori, Lance, and the mystery date whose name I just realised I never bothered to get, oh well. I was so excited, I could almost smell the cotton candy and hot dogs on the air, I could hear the music and feel the big machines whirring around me already, and I hurried to finish getting ready so I could get there already. I looked myself over in the mirror, pleased with what I saw. A quick dab of lip gloss and I headed out to my car to meet them.

As soon as I arrived, I could almost feel the tension leave my muscles. It was brightly coloured, noisy, chaos and I fell in love all over again with it. Children ran here and there laughing whilst their parents struggled to keep up with them. Young people laughed and joked with each other, throwing fries and wrappers and talking loudly. Couples mingled here and there and all the while, the screams of joy could be heard from the rides and the booths.

I was in heaven!

I looked at my watch impatiently, huffing when I realised that they were late to meet me and I tapped my foot against the ground, “Come on, where the hell-”

“Are you alright? You look lost?”

I jumped and spun to face the man with the incredibly deep voice to glare at him for scaring me, and was faced with a very broad chest encased inside a plain white t-shirt that was at least a size too small. I blink at the definition I could see behind the cotton and look up… and look up some more…

_How tall, exactly?!_

“Ma’am?”

I finally lift my head enough to meet his (startlingly, amazingly, almost godlike) blue eyes, and once again, I blink. Like a gormless moron. In front of the god man who looked like he was made up of the most aesthetically pleasing features to ever grace a man’s face.

“You look… perhaps I could get you some water?”

The god mans face looked concerned… wait…

“Did you just call me ma’am?!” I blurt out indignantly at him and take a step back, all the better to get a full look at him and almost weep at how ridiculously attractive he was. The sun glinted off his deep golden blonde hair, cropped close on the sides but left long enough on top so I knew I could run my fingers through it if I wanted. Arms that were so toned and muscular it was almost stupid to look at and I internally scoffed at whatever gym plan Lance was on because he did not have arms like this guy. Plus he was tall! So very tall, and his legs were-

“I was taught to be polite to women I don’t know, and you do not look like the type of woman who would appreciate being called something like “sugar tits” on a first meeting,”

“Sugar… tits? Did you just call me sugar tits?!” I gaped up at him, something in the back of my head was telling me to shut the fuck up, that I was overreacting, but I was too busy really staring at this outrageously attractive giant to listen properly.

“What? No, I said that I wouldn’t call you sugar tits, because- uh- my mother wouldn’t-”

“Oh, so now I’m not attractive enough to call sugar tits?” I interrupt, completely rudely and feeling like the weight of the worlds feminists was going to crush me to the ground for being so goddamn outrageous to what appeared to be a perfectly nice person.

His bright blue eyes opened so wide it was almost comical and he stepped back, “I fear I have offended you, and I deeply apologise. I was just concerned that you were on your own and I wanted to help if you were perhaps lost,”

“I’m fine. Thank you. But you shouldn’t sneak up on women like that, you’re huge and you would scare the shit out of anyone, so you really shouldn’t blame me for lashing out!” The man looks deeply confused by the whole encounter and starts to back away, leaving me feeling like a complete asshole and hoping the earth would swallow me soon, and I abruptly start to babble even more incoherently at him, “I mean, it’s my birthday and I wasn’t expecting to be called sugar tits, you know?!”

“I did not call you sugar tits!” The man smiled jovially at me and pointed in between us both rapidly, “I called you ma’am! I was being polite!”

“You were being a sneak!”

“Okay!” Another awkward laugh and he turned away, heading further into the crowd and allowing me to look over his back… he really had a very nice ass too… wait-

I had just been so goddamn rude to that poor stranger!

My disbelieving groans were muffled when I was suddenly attack hugged by Dori who squealed in my ear happily, “Happy birthday, Y/N!”

“Yeah, happy birthday, you don’t look so bad considering you’re old- ow! Er! OldER!” Lance rubbed his arm and pouted at Dori who just shook her head at him,

“Come on! Carnival time!”

“Aren’t you two forgetting something?” I tilt your head at them, “Weren’t you supposed to be bringing me a date?”

“Yeah, I just got a text from him, he’s around here already but apparently he had to get in quickly because someone was giving him a hard time at the gate,”

“What an asshole,” I shake my head at how inconsiderate people can be, “Hope he’s okay in there on his own, do you know where he is now?”

“He’s about somewhere, don’t worry about Thor, he’s a people person, he’s probably found a child who needs to reach the top shelf or an old lady who reminds him of his mom to have a chat with,” Lance dismissed, reeling off these top tier qualities like they were laughable and not amazing,

“Really?” I ask curiously as we amble through the crowds, “That’s old school chivalry there, do you have a picture of him?” _Please let this “Thor” look as good as he sounds!_

Lance shrugged, trying to pull his phone out of his jeans when Dori suddenly yelled and pointed at the coconut shy, “Lance, baby, think you could win me that giant stuffed turtle?”

“Baby girl, you know I can, with one hand tied behind my back!”

Lance tucks Dori under his arm and walks over to the stall with her, both of them engrossed in each other and leaving me feeling like a spare part. It was only my birthday after all, it was fine that they had each other and I was on my own.

***

It went on for ages, the three of us would stop here and there, jump on a few rides, but it wasn’t right. They were so happily and sappily in love that they could barely keep their hand off of each other and I would just happily chill next to them, smiling bengingly as they made out next to me, hands everywhere.

“Ummm… guys…” I gently poke and prod at Dori’s back, trying to get her to stop attempting to eat Lance’s face for a minute, “So… where’s Thor? Did you guys make him up? Is he a fictional character now?”

With a sound like a plunger being pulled from a plug, they disengaged and turned to look at me, both faces flushed and both of them breathing heavily, “Ummm… yeah, he’s still around, he text not long ago. He somehow got roped into helping the kids on the pony rides,” Lance rolled his eyes.

“Oh my God, pony rides! Lance! You know how I always wanted to ride a pony!”

The blue in Lance’s eyes darkened as his attention was completely taken by Dori, and he nuzzled his nose against hers, “You wanna ride something, baby girl, I have _just_ the seat for you,”

 _Oh, for the love of…_ “You know what, guys? I’m going to have a wander around on my own for an hour, okay? I always used to do this with mom and dad, so it’s not you two acting like you’re solely responsible for re populating the earth or anything! I’ll meet you back at the coconut shy in an hour! Bye!”

I didn’t wait to hear them try and stop me, or tell me off for being rude (again). I just needed to have some space. Now, I know you think I’m probably being a brat, and maybe that’s true, but I hated having my happy places’ routine ruined… it was making my whole birthday weird and, if you can’t be just a little selfish on your birthday, when can you be?

Anyway, I wanted my best friend and her too cocky and charming for his own good boyfriend to have a good time as well, and I knew I was being a downer, so screw it, let’s make this a new birthday ritual! I started seeing everything back in it’s old light, colourful and happy, and my previously dead appetite suddenly roared to life so I went to the nearest stand and bought a hot dog with everything, a large coke (full sugar, it’s my birthday and I earned it), and some fries lathered with ketchup as well.

In those moments, on my own and sat on the uncomfortable wooden bench and surrounded by so many strangers having fun around me, I decided to get over myself and just enjoy the day. The carnival was still my happy place and I wanted to enjoy it. Plus, maybe I would see that tall drink of water again and apologise, how rudely I had spoken to him was haunting me and making my stomach churn.

I finished eating and began walking aimlessly, stopping here and there to try (and fail) to win myself some stuffed animals, when I finally found myself at the big roller coaster aptly named “God of Thunder”. It’s because it’s loud, like thunder.

Yes, carnival marketing is less than subtle but that’s why we love them, okay?

Standing in the queue for the ride made me think of the guy I was supposed to be getting set up with, his name was Thor apparently. I mean, what the hell kind of name is Thor to give your child? Surely it must be short for something. And who the hell could even pull off a name like Thor, anyway? The face of the tall stranger I had been so mean to earlier on popped into my head and I cringed. I mean, yeah, he definitely looked like a God…

So wrapped up in my thoughts about the man was I, that I didn’t even realise I had reached the top of the queue and was being ushered into my seat, right at the front and all on my own, just how I wanted it. Smiling and settling back very happily, eagerness pumping thickly through my veins and making my stomach jump pleasantly.

Something large suddenly blocked out the warmth of the sun coming at my left and I turned to see what had caused it. My mouth dropped open in shock when I saw none other than the man from the gate standing over me, an awkward and annoyingly beautiful smile on his face,

“Ah… I uh… there are no other seats available… would you mind if-?”

“Oh, no… please… ummm..” I gesture mindlessly at the empty seat and stare straight ahead, idly wondering how the hell he would squish himself into the tiny seat. The big guy surprised me, however, folding his long legs into the small space and cramming himself into it, almost like he was one of those acrobats who could bend themselves into impossibly small spaces.  

“There! All ready!” He smiled brightly at me, making my stomach lurch again, apparently he wasn’t one to hold grudges which was nice, “Thank you for letting me sit next to you! My name is Thor, what’s yours?”

“Wait…” I screech over the sound of the engines roaring to life, “You’re Thor?!”

“You know me-”

I couldn’t answer his confused question, I was too busy being thrown back into the hard metal seat when the ride shot forward at a speed I swear it hadn’t gone at last year. I screamed loudly as it dipped and rolled, trying very hard to ignore my ride companion as he screamed and yelled joyfully and kept on nudging at me and telling me to “Put my hands in the air!”

I would take my hands off the rail over his dead body and not before!

All the movement in my stomach that I had thought was excitement was starting to feel more and more like the hot dog was was fighting a fight with my insides. And losing.

“Ma’am! Are you okay? Are you not enjoying yourself?!” Thor yelled next to me, placing his large hand on my shoulder in what was probably concern but my aggressive nausea hated immediately,

“I WILL TEAR YOUR HAND FROM YOUR WRIST, GIANT MAN!”

“Oh, wow, that’s mean,”

The fact that his voice had gone very quiet and he stayed perfectly still for the rest of the ride, longest thirty seconds of my life, didn’t phase me. I was desperately trying to control my gag reflex and looking at his forlorn face would only make my internal sickness feeling ten times worse.

The ride shuddered to a stop, and everyone started to clambour off, talking and chattering, but it was all I could do to to hold down the gorge that was rising in my throat so I stayed still, staring at my hands and breathing through my nose…

“Ma’am… we have to get off the ride now, do you have some friends I could escort you to- oh! Blerg!”

I turned and threw up all over his sneakers. Best birthday ever.

***

“So, you are the Y/N that Lance was talking to me about all week. Small world.”

“Yeah… god, I am so sorry, Thor, please let me buy you some new shoes?”

I was sat outside the ride with Thor sitting close enough to keep me warm but not so close I felt crowded. Good grief I felt miserable. Bad food that made me sick. Yell at the gorgeous guy who was being nice, and then just to add insult to injury, throw up all over him after a ride, really showing off my best features to him on our first date.

“You do not have to do that, Y/N. I don’t blame you for throwing up on me, you can’t help that the food you ate disagreed with you.”

“But what about how I spoke to you earlier? I hadn’t eaten anything then, can’t let me get away with it that easily, Thor.”

“Well, if you hadn’t eaten, then you were surely just hangry! This is something easily forgivable! And, I did call you ma’am, which I now realise is suited more to older women and not someone who is as young as yourself.”

“Young?” I reply glumly, resting my chin on my palms. Now he thinks I’m a kid. Great.

“I mean as in attractive… no, wait, I actually mean as in not at all like my mother!” Thor blinked and dragged his palm down his face, an adorable blush creeping along his face and he babbled some more, “I mean, I was very taken with you as soon as I saw you and only wanted to help and show my best side to you. I did hope that you were who Lance had talked about, but I didn’t want to ask right away. If you hadn’t been her, well… awkward.” Thor ended squeakily and I couldn’t help but laugh,

“Seriously? You were hoping that it was me? Why?” I mean… I was so out of his league it was laughable. Thor shrugged, smiling softly at me,

“You looked lost, and a little sad, and I knew it was your birthday and I wanted to make you smile. Instead…”

He trailed off and I did smile then, genuinely and openly at his shyness. He seemed so sweet, and nice, and here he was, covered in my vomit, and still being nothing but nice and respectful to me. The carnival was my happy place and it was where I hit that reset button. Maybe I could salvage this after all.

“Hey,” I stuck my hand out to him, “my name is Y/N, Lance has told me so little about you, I would love to get to know you better?”

Slowly, Thor’s smile turned from rueful to incredible, and he took my palm in his much larger one, shaking it gently, “I am Thor, and I think if I were to bore you with my life story, it’s only fair I take you out on a date. It would only be polite, and I was raised to be nothing but polite, Y/N.”

“Sounds fair, especially as I doubt you are anything but boring, Thor,”

“Y/N!”

I look up at the sound of Dori’s exasperated voice and wave her and Lance over, “So, when would you like to take me out?”

“Well, it’s your birthday, is it not? I believe I would love to take you out to dinner later, I know a wonderful Norwegian restaurant I could take you to, Y/N,”

I look down and see our hands still clasped and I giggle like a schoolgirl, “Ummm yes, I would like that very much… but maybe we should go home first and change… you do still have my vomit on you.”

“A small price to pay for helping you out and keeping you company on that ride.”

Dori and Lance came over then, carrying their various winnings and wearing huge grins. Lance promptly made fun of Thor’s filthy sneakers and Dori promptly fussed over me to make sure I was okay. All through this though, Thor’s (incredible, captivating, wonderful) blue eyes didn’t leave mine and I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face.

The carnival really was the best happy place, ever.


End file.
